The Texas Rangers have acquired pitcher Matt Moore from the San Francisco Giants, according to both Evan Grant and John Shea on Twitter, with the deal being contingent on a physical.
Moore, 28, is a left hander the Rangers have long been interested in, and reportedly pursued at the deadline in 2016 before Moore was shipped from Tampa to San Francisco for a package that included Lucius Fox and Matt Duffy. Moore is a former top prospect who hasn't been the same since 2014 Tommy John surgery, and was a major disappointment for the Giants in 2017, putting up a 5.52 ERA in 31 starts and a relief appearance.
Moore is under contract for $9 million in 2018, with a team option for $10 million in 2019 with a $750,000 club option. The return is supposedly "prospects," though I'd be surprised if it were anyone too high on the prospect food chain for Texas — Shea originally tweeted that Moore and Hunter Pence were potentially being moved for payroll room.
It's yet another interesting and relatively inexpensive project for the Rangers' rotation, with Moore joining Mike Minor and Doug Fister as the new additions. And the Rangers still have a fair amount of money available to spend, so we could still see another starter added and a six man rotation in place.
UPDATE — Alex Pavlovic says the Giants are getting two minor league pitchers and cash in the deal.
UPDATE II — Sam Wolff is one of the pitchers going to San Francisco in this deal. The 26 year old Wolff missed all of 2015 with a torn Achilles, but had a very good 2017 campaign pitching out of the bullpen for Frisco and Round Rock, and would have been brought to the majors last year but for a flexor tendon problem that required surgery, and will cause him to miss much of 2018. He has a big arm and a potential future as a big league reliever.
UPDATE III — 20 year old righthander Israel Cruz is the other pitcher going to San Francisco. Cruz pitched in the DSL in 2014-15, and in the AZL in 2016-17. I think it is fair to say that, at this stage of his career, he's a fringe prospect at best.
UPDATE IV — It is official — John Blake says the Rangers have acquired Matt Moore and international bonus slot money for Sam Wolff and Israel Cruz.
UPDATE V — Evan Grant says the Rangers are getting $750K in bonus pool money from this deal.